Series 3 With Rose
by PhoenixFlame123
Summary: Rose wasn't sucked into the parallel universe, and she and the Doctor continue their fantastic adventures throughout time and space, picking up others along the way. Re-written Series 3 and on - how it would have changed with Rose alongside. Contains a lot of Ten/Rose, rated T for -safety-. Please review! :D
1. Doomsday, part 1

** It's been done before, it'll probably be done again, but I really wanted a shot at writing through series 3 as if Rose hadn't been sucked into the parallel universe :)**

** I've read quite a few of these, though, and it always seems like nothing really changes... it's just Rose, standing next to the Doctor, giggling every now and then.**

** Nope! Not in this one. She's actually going to have active parts. And I'm actually going to have her change the storyline sometimes. Not in a gigantically major way; but a way nonetheless. She'll be there. She'll be Rose. Not just a bystander with the Doctor.**

** Also... it's gonna be a ton of 10/Rose. No Martha hating or anything like that, but lots of 10/Rose scenes added in... and stuff like that x3 So if you don't like that... well... don't read it xP**

** Although I've been writing a lot of DW fanfictions, this is the first one I've uploaded. If you hate it, please don't kill me.**

** I'll stop talking now and start with the last few scenes of Doomsday. :)**

** ~PhoenixFlame123~**

/\/\/\/\

"The breach is open!" shouted the Doctor as Cybermen and Daleks flew past them. "Into the Void! HA!"

Rose gripped tightly to the clamps on the wall as the wind tried to suck her in, her legs dangling freely in the air as a screaming Dalek whipped by. She wrapped herself tightly around the clamp. '_Don't let go. Don't let go,_' she thought to herself.

As it seemed to be working, the Cybermen from all over the world being sucked into the Void and the Genesis Arc flying past, the Doctor and Rose beamed at each other over the wind and the noise. It was going well, and the Daleks and Cybermen were leaving, and they would be okay; it would be her and the Doctor and everything would be perfect -

"Offline", came a computer-generated voice. Rose looked in horror as a small explosion of sparks appeared near her and the lever on her side slid into the "off" position. The suction was lessening - she needed to turn it back on -

Rose reached for the lever, still trying to maintain her grip on the clamp, but couldn't reach. It was just too far. No other way possible, she fell on the lever, jerking it upright. "Online and locked," came the voice, and she sighed in relief, but the pulling started again and she realized she had nothing to hold onto except for the lever.

"Rose, hold on!" she heard the Doctor shout. She gritted her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut in effort as she clutched tightly to the flimsy lever. But the pulling was too strong - she could feel herself slipping -

"ROSE!"

/\/\/\

"ROSE!" shouted the Doctor, awfully helpless as he saw her slip. _No. No. No. I can't let her go._

She was almost gone - her fingers were barely gripping -

In a crazy, insane, impossible move, the Doctor brought his legs up to the wall and pushed off, flying through the air towards the clamp on the opposite side of the wall. He was pulled towards the Void but his long arms reached the clamp before it was too late. Hooking his foot onto the handle, he leaned and reached out towards Rose.

"ROSE!" he shouted, reaching out. "GRAB MY HAND!"

She was struggling, he could tell, as another pack of Cybermen flew past. But if she could reach him - if he could hold her for just a few more seconds -

Her hand strained towards his, and their fingers were just a centimeter away when she made a sudden lunge and gripped his hand.

The Doctor gritted his teeth in effort. With a massive surge of strength, he brought Rose up towards him. She reached, able to grab back onto the magna-clamp next to him. He got his hands back on the clamp, letting his foot go, and they grinned breathlessly at each other as they held on together.

The last few Daleks went shrieking past them, flailing and turning helplessly in the suction, and there was a huge burst of strength in pull, causing the Doctor to desperately put his hand over Rose's, determined to keep her with him. This only last for a couple seconds before it began to decrease dramatically, finally stopping altogether. The Doctor and Rose collapsed next to each other, both breathing heavily. The Doctor couldn't stop his hearts racing.

He'd almost lost her.

He'd almost lost Rose.

He just looked at her and tried to imagine the overwhelming feeling of loss after losing her. The utter hopelessness and grief that might have torn through him. Crippled him.

But she was here; she was lying right next to him.

For the ten hundredth time, the fact he had known ever since he was in his ninth form smacked his straight in the face; he was unconditionally and absolutely in love with this human girl.

/\/\/\/\

Rose laid her head on the cool floor, regaining her breath. That was... well, intense, to say the least.

She felt the Doctor, extremely close beside her, and breathed a quiet sigh of utter relief. They were okay. They had done it.

She turned her head to see the Doctor staring at her, a faint smile tugging at his lips. The ghost of a grin morphed into a full-out beam as he saw her looking.

"We did it," she said weakly, laughing a little bit in the adrenaline crash. She put her hand on the Doctor's, and he squeezed it tightly.

"Yes we did," he said faintly, still beaming. Suddenly his face fell, his eyes clouding. "I thought I had lost you," he murmured, his voice cracking a little. "For a moment there, one terrifying, awful moment... I thought I had lost you forever."

Rose looked into his face, concerned. They were still lying on the floor, not bothering to get up. She smiled reassuringly, tapping his hand with her thumb. "I," she said firmly, "Am not going anywhere."

His grin brightened again, and his eyes glimmered as he shook his head at her. "Rose Tyler," he said in wonder, "you brilliant, wonderful human."

She smirked at him. "Doctor," she replied, "You brilliant, _crazy_ Time Lord."

He seemed to find this very funny and laughed. She laughed along with him. He stood up, helping pull her up, and they looked at the wall where the breach had been closed.

"It's closed forever," murmured the Doctor thoughtfully as they walked up close to it. He trailed his hand along the now normal-seeming white wall. "No more hopping between universes. This is it."

Rose suddenly felt tears spring to her eyes, and grief choked her. "I'll never see her again," she whispered, placing her hand on the wall. "My mum. My own mum." She gasped a sob, placing her free hand over her mouth. "I never even got to say goodbye..."

The Doctor pulled her into a hug as she started to cry. She could hear him speak, his voice full of guilt. "This is my fault... I should have made you go back..."

"No," she said firmly, pulling away. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes, glaring at him fiercely. "Don't you dare say that. Because I made my choice, and I love my mum, but I -" she suddenly blushed fiercely, turning away.

The Doctor grabbed her wrists, making her look at him. "But you what?" he said curiously, blinking owlishly.

She smiled through her tears, shaking her head up at him. "You don't know already?"

He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but not words came out. He looked extremely confused.

Tackling him in a hug, she said into his shoulder, "I love you, you idiot. I love you more than anyone. Why else would I leave everyone else?"

It took him a second to return the embrace, pulling her closer to him. "I... I love you, too, Rose."

Startled, she looked up. "Really?"

He laughed lightly. "Now who's the idiot?"

And he pulled her into a kiss.

/\/\/\/\

They were back on the TARDIS, and the Doctor was probably the happiest he had ever been in his life. After narrowly escaping the human officials, dodging police and government workers in an effort to stay out of any confusing dramatics, the duo had made it inside their haven of a blue box, holding hands and beaming the whole time.

Now inside the ship, Rose had gone to change while the Doctor checked around the TARDIS console. He couldn't stop smiling; who would have thought that what he imagined to be the worst incident of his life had somehow morphed into him finally landing the girl of his dreams? Ooh; that sounded something shallow. But isn't that, really, what had happened?

He wasn't really sure what to do next, where to go; it seemed a bit odd to just keep on going on after this. They needed a break, he decided. But he couldn't keep the TARDIS on Earth right now. Things would be chaos.

Rose appeared again in the console room, and the Doctor looked up with a grin; but seeing her face, his smile fell. "Is something wrong?" he asked in concern, striding to her side. "Are you okay?"

She nodded unconvincingly, looking at the ground.

"Liar. Tell me what's wrong," the Doctor persuaded.

She took a breath. "It's... it's my mum," she confessed. Fresh tears shone in her eyes. "You know I'd rather be here with you, but..." she took a shaky breath. "I never got to say goodbye to her. I'll never see her again." She swiped her hand across her face, looking away. "I just... I dunno. It's hard to get over. That I'll never even speak to her again."

The Doctor paused, eyebrows crinkling. _No... it's impossible. Well... Lots of impossible things have happened today. But maybe... _without a word out loud, he rushed to the screen, muttering under his breath. Rose was staring at him weirdly as he chattered softly.

"Maybe if there's a bit left... just one tiny last breach, not enough to travel through, but maybe..." the scanner flashed circles, and he hit his fist against the console angrily. "Not even the TARDIS has that much power... only a superno-" he stopped still, then grinned wildly. "Yes, that's it!"

"What's it?" Rose sniffled, stepping forward. "What have you found?"

The Doctor looked up, smiling crookedly. "One last chance to see your mum."


	2. Doomsday, part 2

**/\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\**

"I can't make you appear in her house," the Doctor chattered quickly, running around with wires clenched in both hands. "You'll need to call out to her, telepathically."

"I can't do that! I don't know how to do that," Rose said nervously, her heart beating erratically as she followed a couple steps behind him. "I can't do that - telepathic stuff, I -"

"You've lived with her your whole life. Even though you don't know it, you already have a strong psychic link with her," the Doctor explained hastily, typing code into the TARDIS control panel. "All you need to do is call out to her with your mind. Really, overwhelmingly strong. The only thing in your mind for a little while. She'll hear it. When and if she responds, it'll be easier to communicate with her - just like a conversation in your head. Then you have to tell her this." He shoved a hastily scrawled-on piece of paper with directions labelled on it. "It's how she can reach where we're going to appear."

Rose took a step backwards, a bit overwhelmed. The Doctor paused, clenching the sonic screwdriver in between his teeth as he twirled a knob and pressed more buttons. Looking up, he smiled reassuringly. "You'll be fine. I'll help you."

She smiled back weakly. The TARDIS lurched, then steadied, and the Doctor jumped over the console next to her, grabbing the sonic screwdriver from his mouth and smiling at her. Grabbing her hand with his free one, he led her to the wall and stopped in front of it.

"I'll wire it up here." He looked straight at her, his face becoming serious. "You have to concentrate. Really concentrate. Just call out to her with your mind. She'll be able to hear you."

Rose nodded, closing her eyes and clearing her mind. Summoning all her strength, she called out with her thoughts, feeling a bit foolish. _Mum... mum,_ she thought, trying to put some sort of power behind it, reaching out with her mind.

She felt the Doctor's hand tighten around hers, and peeking an eye open, could see him closing his eyes, concentrating with her. He was helping her. Feeling a surge of confidence, Rose screwed her eyes shut and concentrated.

_Mum... can you hear me, Mum? ...Mum!..._

She felt the Doctor tense, then relax. "It's established, she can hear you," she could hear him say faintly, but it was in the distance, as if he were many miles away. She could feel a presence near her, and gasped a little. She could _sense_ her mum next to her.

_Mum!_

_ Rose? _Rose gasped as she heard her mum's voice in her head.

_Mum, it's me. Quick, you need to listen. _It was getting easier, and she opened her eyes, taking a look at the little scrap of paper the Doctor had shoved at her.

_This is what you need to do, okay?_

/\/\

"She'll appear there on the wall. Soon. Timestreams are messed up in the universes, it'll have been a few weeks maybe for her, but not that long for you." the Doctor was hopping animatedly around the console, doing something or another. Rose was still in a bit of shock after speaking to her mother telepathically.

"Will... will I be able to do that all the time?" Rose asked hopefully. The Doctor looked up, sympathy crossing his face.

"No," he said gently, "I'm sorry. It's impossible. We use up a bit more of the breach that's left every time we make contact across it. Once we see them one last time -" he paused, ducking his head towards the controls - "that'll be it. The last time. No more energy left."

Rose felt her heart sink again. "Okay," she said softly, leaning back against the railing.

"Al-most-there-" the Doctor grunted in effort, leaning to the other side of the console to slam down on one more bucket.

With a flicker, an image appeared on the wall - a beach, the sky cloudy and waters gray.

"Does she know how to get here-?"

"The instructions you gave her should have led her here. And if I did it right - aha!"

A Jeep was pulling into the beach in the distance. Rose felt her heart stutter at the familiarity of it; it was her dad's old Jeep. The one he used to have. Still held onto that old thing?

She watched as three figures emerged from it, one tall, one dark, and one blonde. Her mum, dad, and Mickey. Rose caught her breath, wishing she could run forward, but they would have to come to her. And sure enough, she saw her mum running across the sand to reach where she was.

"Mum," Rose said, smiling a little, when she came close.

"Rose," Jackie gasped, out of breath. She bent over a little, catching her breath. Straightening up, Jackie stared at the image of Rose like she was a ghost. "Where - where are you?"

"In the TARDIS," Rose said. Jackie looked confused.

"But how are you here-?"

"Um, I think what the Doctor said was that there's just one last little gap in the universes left, it's about to close. It takes a ton of power to get through here. We're - outside a supernova right now."

The Doctor had shown her the beautiful, whirling mass of supernova outside the TARDIS door beforehand.

Rose smiled a little. "Burning up a star just to say goodbye."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Jackie snapped half-heartedly, wiping her eyes that were already glistening with tears. Sniffling, she said, "Why do you look so odd? You're like a ghost."

Rose turned around to someone Jackie couldn't see, and she could faintly hear her saying "She can't see me properly." A whirring sound in the back, and then Rose's image became much more solid. Like she could be standing right there. Jackie reached out a hand.

"Can I -?"

"I'm still just an image. No touch," Rose was saying regretfully.

"Can't you come through properly?" Jackie said, her voice trembling.

Suddenly, another figure appeared next to her daughter. It was the Doctor. He took Rose's hand. "We can't," he said. "The whole thing would fracture. The two universes would collapse."

"So?" Jackie said, half-jokingly, "Don't you two do that all the time?"

The duo smiled softly. Looking around, the Doctor questioned, "Where _did_ we end up?"

"Norway. A beach in Norway."

"Norway... right," the Doctor said, as if this made a lot of sense.

"This beach. It's called Darlig Ulv Stranden. Or um, I think in English, it's called Bad Wolf Bay." Jackie's face remained blank, while Rose's and the Doctor's eyebrows shot up in shock. They looked at each other and shook their heads in wonder. "What? Is something special about that?"

"No, it's just - no," Rose finished lamely.

They were quiet for a moment. "How much time do we have?" Jackie asked.

"About two minutes..." answered the Doctor.

Jackie laughed quietly. "I can't think of what to say!"

"You still have my dad, then?" Rose said, looking behind here where two figures stood in the distance. "And Mickey?"

"There's four of us now. Me, Pete, Mickey - and the baby."

Rose was astonished. "You're not -"

"Three months gone now. More Tylers on the way," Jackie said proudly, patting her stomach. Worry crossed her face. "I'm not showing too bad, am I -?"

Rose and the Doctor laughed, and Jackie allowed a smile. She did sound pretty ridiculous.

"Are - are you two going to do okay, then?" Jackie said, tearing up again.

"Of course, Mum. We'll be fine. Same old life," Rose said comfortingly.

"But how do I know?" Jackie said in frustration. "Now that I'm not at home, how do I know you're not just gonna dump her on Earth once you get bored with her, or, or how'll I know if she gets hurt or worse or trapped on some other planet? How do I know you'll take care of her?"

Rose looked shocked and embarrassed, but the Doctor just leaned forward a little, intensity in his gaze. "Jackie," he said solemnly, "I promise you - I give you my word - I will never let anything happen to your daughter."

"How do I know? How do I know for sure?"

"Because I love her," the Doctor said unexpectedly. Jackie gaped at them, at the Doctor immediately looked uncomfortable, but kept talking. "I do. I love her. And I will never, _ever,_ let _anything_ happen to her." Rose was watching him with the utmost affection. The Doctor shifted nervously, waiting for Jackie's reaction.

Jackie just stared at this man and her daughter for a moment before letting a huge grin spread across her face. "Well, it's _about time!"_ she said, smirking. They looked astonished. "Oh, don't look so surprised. We all knew you two were ridiculously in love. I can't _believe_ it took you two so long to figure it out for yourselves!"

The Doctor's mouth was hanging open, and Rose was starting to laugh. "Well, that went well," she chuckled.

Jackie paused, brushed her hair out of her face. "Well. At least I know you'll be safe," she said softly, then started crying again. "Rose, will - will I ever be able to see you again?"

Rose had started crying as well. "No," she said. "We can't. I'm sorry." She looked behind her. "We don't have much time left..."

"I love you, sweetheart," Jackie said softly, smiling at her daughter.

"I love you, too, mum," Rose replied, and forced a smile back.

Then they were gone.

/\/\/\/\

The Doctor wrapped Rose in a hug as she started crying, holding her close as she sobbed. He wasn't sure what he could say, so resorted to just holding her close.

"You okay?" he asked softly as her sobs started to lessen. She looked up, moving a bit away from him, and nodded.

"Yeah," she said hoarsely, wiping her face, "I'm - I'm okay." She sniffled, and wiped her nose. Pausing for a second, she went on, "I need to go wash up. I probably look a mess."

"Hey, how about we go somewhere relaxing? Just, I dunno, on a date or something."

She smiled, a real smile that reached her eyes. "A _date_? Our real first date?" she teased, and he felt himself turn red.

"Yeah, I guess," he mumbled, fiddling with something on the console. "I mean, if it sounds stupid, that's okay, I just thought -"

"No, that sounds wonderful," she said, leaning closer to him and beaming at him. "That sounds _wonderful._ But I need to get washed up first."

He grinned in relief at her. "Okay," he said, and she trotted down the hall. He started plotting the coordinates to a peaceful planet he knew of, when he suddenly looked up to see a tall, ginger woman, dressed in a bright white wedding dress, staring at him in shock.

"What?" he asked in shock.

The woman yelped a little in shock.

"_What?"_

"Who are you?" demanded the woman in a thick accent.

"But-"

"Where am I?" she yelled.

"_What?" _

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PLACE?"

"WHAT?!"

/\/\/\/\

**So this one might have been a bit boring... but it's gonna pick up as we continue on to The Runaway Bride! :)**


	3. The Runaway Bride, part 1

This didn't make sense.

This didn't make any sense.

Donna had just been walking down the aisle. With her dad - they were linked arms, and - and she was walking down the aisle -

- and now she was staring at a skinny guy in a suit, who was staring back at her with the same amount of utter surprise.

"What?" he was saying.

"Who are you?" Donna demanded in surprise.

"_What?"_ he just repeated.

"Where am I?" she questioned with growing panic.

"But -" the man stuttered.

_ "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS PLACE?"_

/\/\/\/\

The Doctor was utterly confused.

"You can't do that!" He almost whined, as if she had just cheated at a game. "I wasn't - we're in flight! That is - that is physically impossible! How did you-?"

"Tell me where I am," the woman in the dress commanded. "I demand you tell me right now - _where am I?"_

Unable to do much more than stare at her, the Doctor spluttered, "Inside the TARDIS."

"The what?"

"The TARDIS."

"The _what?_"

"The TARDIS!" snapped the Doctor, turning to the controls. Well, there went his date.

"The _what?!"_

"It's called the TARDIS!" the Doctor said in exasperation.

"That's not even a proper word! You're just sayin' things!" the woman spat.

"How did you get in here?" the Doctor was asking, in vain hope that maybe she'd understand.

"Well, _obviously,_ when you _kidnapped_ me!" hissed the woman, dashing the Doctor's hopes. "Who was it? Who's paying you?" A look of understanding and rage somehow crossed her face. "Is it Nerys? Oh, my, god, she's _finally_ got me back! This has got _Nerys_ written all over it!"

"Who the hell is Nerys?" cried the Doctor. He was incredibly confused.

"_Your best friend!_"

"Hold on," the Doctor said, completely befuddled, "What're you wearing that for?" He gestured at her flowing dress.

The woman lifted her arms, her tone riddled with sarcasm. "I'm going ten pin bowling." Her voice raised. "Whaddaya think, dumbo? I was halfway up the aisle!"

She continued ranting while the Doctor turned back to the TARDIS controls. "I've been waiting all my life for this. I was just seconds away! And then you- I dunno, you _drugged_ me or something!"

The Doctor shook his head. "I haven't done anything!" How long would it take Rose to get back out here? He could use some sense to all this craziness...

The woman was going on, "We're having the police on you! Me and my husband - as soon as he is my husband - we're gonna sue the living backside off ya!"

Ignoring her, the Doctor continued operate the controls, flipping switches and levers and pushing buttons. He looked up only to see her running for the door. Running after her, he yelled out "No - wait a minute, wait a minute! Don't!"

But too late - she was staring at the supernova outside with an expression of awe and fear written across her face. Her mouth fell open as the Doctor, resigned, moved next to her.

"You're in space," he explained in exhaustion. "...outer. Space. This is my... space-ship," he finished lamely, for lack of a better word. "It's... called the TARDIS."

"How am I breathing?" the woman asked faintly, unable to tear her eyes away from the supernova spinning in front of her.

"The TARDIS is protecting us," the Doctor answered.

She paused for a moment before asking, "Who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor," the Doctor said in a familiar, sing-song way. "You?"

"Donna," she replied.

He looked her up and down. She appeared normal. "Human?"

"Yeah," she replied with a slight eyeroll. "Is that optional?"

"Well. It is for me," the Doctor replied seriously.

She looked at him, suddenly realizing he was serious. "You're an alien." It was more of a statement then a question.

"Yeahh."

With a bit of attitude, Donna said, "Well, it's freezing with these doors open."

Irritated, the Doctor slammed the doors shut, running back towards the controls. "But I don't understand this, and I understand everything! This- this can't happen! There is no way a human being can lock itself onto the TARDIS and transport itself inside. It must be -" he grabbed a tool and Donna, inspecting her eyes as if looking for something and spouting a stream of technobabble. "Impossible. Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? _Maybe_ something pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell. _Maybe_ something macro mining your DNA within the interior matrix. Maybe a _genetic—"_

Without any pretense, Donna smacked him in the face.

Taken aback, he cried, "What was that for?!"

"GET ME TO THE CHURCH!" shouted Donna.

He threw his tools down, throwing his arms up in the air in exasperation. "Right! Fine! I don't want you here anyway! Where is this _wedding?"_

"Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System!" Donna shouted. As the Doctor busied himself with the controls, she spotted something hanging on the railing. "I knew it! Acting all _innocent."_ She grabbed the item, a blouse, shaking it in front of the Doctor. "I'm not the first, am I? How many women have you _abducted?"_

The Doctor looked up, seeing the blouse. His face lit up. "Oh no! That - that's my friend's."

"Where is she, then?" Donna asked sarcastically. "Out for a spacewalk?"

"No, she's right down the hall -"

"Oi, who's this?" came a surprised voice from the corridor. The Doctor practically fainted with relief as Rose appeared, looking much better and staring at Donna in confusion. "How did she get here -?"

"I don't know. I don't know. Um, Rose, this is Donna. Donna, Rose."

"No, how is she here? Did we stop and pick her up-?"

"No, she just - just -" the Doctor waved his hand vaguely, at a loss for words before spluttering, "-_appeared."_

"What, are you an alien, too?" Donna was saying accusingly.

"No, no, I'm a - human," Rose said slowly, still confused.

"Oh, did he abduct you, too? Does he _ever_ let us out of here?" Donna shouted.

"What are you talking about? He hasn't abducted anybody!" Rose said indignantly.

"How should I believe _you_? You're his partner in crime!" Donna was yelling.

Exasperated beyond all means, the Doctor threw up his arms. "Right! _Chiswick!"_

/\/\/\/\

Back at the church, Donna's family was going insane; the chaos throbbing through the church was driving everybody crazy. Sylvia, Donna's mother, was pushing her way through the crowd, talking animatedly into a cell phone.

"No, she didn't run away. We're not talking jitters. She literally vanished. Now, go and check the house and see if she's there." Hanging up, she addressed somebody in the crowd before Lance, Donna's fiance, rushed up. "Lance - any sign?"

"I've looked all around and I can't find her. Where the hell did she go?" Lance was saying, running off in another direction.

Sylvia turned to her husband. "Showing off, that's what she is! First day at school, she was sent home for biting."

"Well, it's a bit more serious than that. She's never disappeared before!" Geoff insisted.

"She didn't _disappear_, it's a trick! It's one of her silly little 'look at me' party pieces." She paused, and worry crossed her face. "What if she's dead?"

"Oh, don't say that!"

/\/\/\/\

Donna practically fell out of the TARDIS into a place that, as she looked around, looked completely unfamiliar.

"I said 'St. Mary's'. What kind of Martian are you?" Donna accused. "Where's this?"

The Doctor wasn't listening, as he turned, pressed against the TARDIS. "Something's wrong with her..."

Rose spilled out behind the Doctor, still looking flabbergasted. She immediately snorted at the ridiculous pose the Doctor was taking. "What are you doing?"

"It's like she's... recalibrating!" the Doctor said, running back inside. Rose let out a huge breath, leaning backwards against the TARDIS and running fingers through her hair in exasperation. Just what she needed; more excitement.

"What have you eaten? What's wrong?" said the Doctor to the TARDIS. _Great; he's talking to the machine again, _Rose thought with a small grin."Donna? You've really gotta think. Is there anything that might've caused this?"

Donna wasn't listening. She had just realized what she had come out of. Startled, she put her hand on the blue box that was so much bigger on the inside, pacing around it and trying to find the trick. Rose smiled at her reaction. How did this seem familiar?

The Doctor was continuing. "Anything you might've done? Any sort of alien contacts? I can't let you go wandering off in case you're dangerous. I mean, have you... have you seen lights in the sky?" He was grasping at straws now. "Or... did you touch something? Something- something different? Something strange? Something made out of a sort of metal or - who're you getting married to?"

Donna stuck her head inside the TARDIS, as if trying to see if she had imagined how huge the interior was. Realizing she was not mistaken, she stumbled backwards, her hand flying to her mouth. Rose grimaced in sympathy.

"Are you sure he's human?" the Doctor said, unaware of her reaction. He looked up. "He's not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead, is he?"

But Donna was gone, running away from the strange blue box. Rose started after her. "No, wait!"

"Donna!" called the Doctor, running after the two.

The duo fell into step next to Donna, the Doctor on her left, Rose on her right.

"Donna," the Doctor tried to reason.

"Leave me alone. I just want to get married," Donna said, seeming close to tears.

"Come back to the TARDIS," Rose pleaded.

"No way," Donna said firmly. "That box is too... _weird."_

The Doctor tried to explain. "It's... bigger on the inside, that's all."

"Oh, that's all?" Donna replied sarcastically. She checked her watch and groaned. "Ten past three... I'm gonna miss it."

"You can phone them. Tell them where you are," the Doctor said.

"How do I do that?"

"Haven't you got a mobile?"

Donna stopped and stared at him, and Rose hit her forehead with her palm, snickering. The Doctor was confused at their reaction.

"I'm in my _wedding dress._ It doesn't have _pockets._ Who has pockets?" Donna said in an incredibly sarcastic tone. The Doctor leaned back and exhaled as he realized how stupid he must have sounded, but Donna wasn't done yet. "Have you ever _seen_ a bride with pockets? When I went to my fitting, do you think I said 'Alison, the one thing I forgot to say is give me POCKETS'?!"

The Doctor opened and closed his mouth, at a loss for words. Rose raised her eyebrows at him from behind.

Eventually he sputtered, "...this... man you're marrying - what's his name?"

Switching moods in an instant, Donna replied with a dreamy smile, "Lance."

"Gotta like Lance," the Doctor joked, but Donna would have none of it.

"OI," she said, switching manners again, "No stupid Martians are gonna stop me from getting married. To hell with you two!" She ran off.

Rose and the Doctor paused for a moment, sett off-guard. "I'm not - we're not - not - from Mars," the Doctor finished feebly. Rose shook her head in exasperation, grinning at the Doctor at the craziness of this all. He grinned back, already exhausted. They took hands and ran after her.


	4. The Runaway Bride, part 2

"TAXI!" Donna was shouting, running around and trying to catch a car. None of them were stopping for her.

"OI!" shouted Donna after another tazi who ignored her.

The Doctor and Donna ran around trying to catch their attention, while Rose stood to the side, watching them in amusement.

"Why aren't they stopping?" the Doctor cried in exasperation.

"They think I'm in fancy dress," Donna said.

A driver drove by, yelling "Stay off the scotch darlin'!"

Donna rolled her eyes. "They think I'm drunk."

Another driver and a passenger flew past, shouting "You're foolin' no one, mate!"

Donna threw up her arms. "They think I'm in drag!"

The Doctor looked her up and down appraisingly, earning him a glare from her, before waving his hand. "Hold on, hold on." He brought his fingers to his mouth and whistled piercingly, causing Donna and Rose to hold their ears.

"Oi," Rose said indignantly, "Where'd ya learn _that_?"

"There we are," the Doctor said in satisfaction, as a taxi rolled to a stop next to them. Donna clambered in and the Doctor helped Rose in, following after her.

"Saint Mary's in Chiswick, just off Hayden Road. It's an emergency, I'm getting married! Just... hurry up!" Donna instructed the driver anxiously.

"You know it'll cost you, sweetheart? Double rates today," the driver was saying.

Donna looked shocked. "Oh, my God." She turned to the Doctor. "Have you got any money?"

"Um... no." He looked at Rose, who shook her head. "You don't?"

Donna made an exasperated motion. "_Pockets!"_

The taxi screeched to a halt and they were out on the street. The Doctor slammed the door.

"And that goes DOUBLE for your MOTHER!" Donna finished loudly as the taxi pulled away. Rose looked impressed.

"I'll have him. I've got his number. I'll have him. Talk about the Christmas Spirit," Donna said angrily.

The Doctor and Rose looked around in surprise. "Is it Christmas?" Rose said in happy surprise.

"Well, _duh,_" Donna said in a stupefied voice. "It might not be on Mars, but here it's Christmas Eve." She suddenly hit the Doctor. He glared at her. "Phone box!" she said, and the trio started off towards it.

"We can reverse the charges," Donna was saying.

"How come you're getting married on Christmas Eve?" Rose wondered.

"Can't bear it. I hate Christmas. Honeymoon in Morocco. Sunshine - lovely," said Donna.

They reached the phone box. The Doctor held the door open for Donna, and he and Rose stayed outside.

"What's the operator? I've not done this in years," Donna fretted. "What do you dial? 100?"

The Doctor buzzed the sonic screwdriver against the phone. "Just - just call the direct."

"What did you do?" Donna demanded.

"Something - Martian," the Doctor said distractedly. "Just phone. I'll get money!"

He sprinted to the nearest cash machine, Rose following him curiously. The man in front of them was using the machine aggravatingly slow; the Doctor hopped from foot to foot impatiently.

"Hey, calm down," Rose said in amusement. The Doctor let out a huff of air.

"Oohh, answer the phone!" Donna was saying, desperately punching the numbers out. But neither her mother nor Lance were answering their cells. She left a message on her mother's.

"Mum, get off the phone and listen. I'm in -" she looked around. "Oh my God, - I dunno where I am! It's... it's a street." _Yeah, that narrows it down Donna, great detective work there._ "And there's WH Smith... but it's definitely Earth!"

The Doctor was finally able to dart forward to the cash machine, looking around. Rose was starting to understand what he was doing, and pretended to tsk in disapproval. He just stuck out his tongue at her before using the sonic screwdriver to retrieve cash from the machine.

Donna was running out onto to street, grabbing onto the nearest person at random.

"Excuse me... I'm begging you. I'm getting married, I really am and I'm late and I just need to borrow a tenner and I'll pay you back I promise and it's Christmas," Donna rambled desperately.

The Doctor had pocketed the cash when Rose tugged on his arm. "Doctor..." she said slowly, her eyes wide.

The Doctor turned to see a row of masked Santas playing trumpets and trombones a short distance away, growing nearer.

"Last Christmas... when you... and the..." Rose trailed off, knowing he was remembering. The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"TAXI!" Donna shouted, and a taxi miraculously pulled up. She conversed with the driver for a second before shouting back to the Doctor and Rose.

"Thanks for nothin', SPACEMAN! I'll see you in COURT!"

She clambered into the seat and it started to drive away. But right before it was lost from sight, the Doctor could catch that the driver was a Santa.

"No, no, Donna!" Rose shouted after them.

Turning, the Doctor could see the Santas lowering their trumpets as weapons. Rose gasped, and the Doctor quickly soniced the cash machine so that bills flew everywhere. People scrambled forward, trying to catch money and stuff it in their pockets, and the Doctor and Rose made their escape.

"Come on!" The Doctor shouted, and they entered the TARDIS in a dead sprint. He started hammering and punching the TARDIS into action, and they jolted off violently. "Hang on!" he yelled to Rose valiantly, who clutched the railing tightly as the TARDIS rocked and rolled.

The Doctor squinted at the monitor, tracing the taxi's progress. Sparks flew and he hit the TARDIS with a hammer. "Behave!"

Rose was thrown to the ground and pulled herself up, grunting with effort. The TARDIS fell out of the sky, and the Doctor threw open the doors to see Donna in the taxi below, hitting the windows and doors and shouting for help. Her gaze locked on the spinning blue box and her mouth fell open.

"You are kidding me," he could see her mouth through the window.

The Doctor ran to Rose, who was looking shaken, guiding her hands to a lever and a switch. "When I shout, pull the lever and flip the switch," he explained hastily, and she nodded as he ran back to the doors.

"Open the door!" he shouted to Donna, who was pressed up against the window.

"Do what?"

"_Open the door!"_ he yelled over the roar of wind.

"I can't, it's locked!"

The Doctor soniced the door and Donna pushed the window open.

"_Santa's a robot," _she said in exasperation, like there couldn't be anything else done to her today.

"Donna, open the door," the Doctor said.

"What for?!"

"You've got to jump!" he explained loudly, leaning forward.

"I'm not bleedin' flip jumping, I'm supposed to be gettin' married!" Donna shrieked shrilly.

Suddenly the taxi pulled ahead, the robot guiding the car forward.

The Doctor shouted behind him. "Now, the lever and the switch!"

Rose pulled both and the TARDIS shot forward, bumping on the roof of another car before pulling up next to the taxi. Quickly, the Doctor soniced the robot, causing it to lose power. Now she _really_ needed to jump.

"_Listen to me - _you've got to jump," the Doctor stressed.

"Come on, Donna, just do it," he heard Rose call frantically behind him. The TARDIS lurched again, and he heard Rose hit the wall. He winced.

"I am not jumping on a motorway," Donna articulated obstinately.

"Whatever that thing is, it needs you. And whatever it needs you for, it's _not good," _the Doctor explained in understandable exasperation. "Now, come on!"

Panicking, Donna screamed, "_I'm in my wedding dress!"_

"Yes! You look lovely! _Come on_!"

Donna threw open the door, positioning herself and looking at the Doctor fearfully. He held out his arms.

"I can't do it," she shouted fearfully.

"Just trust me," he said, trying to force calm into his voice.

She looked at him for a moment, looked behind him where Rose waited anxiously, paused for a second, then screwed up her eyes and jumped with a loud screech.

She landed right on top of the Doctor, and they fell into the TARDIS in a heap. The doors behind them slammed shut and they zoomed off into the sky.

The Doctor and Donna hesitated for a second, breathing hard and lying against each other. Suddenly an indignant voice came from behind him.

"Oi, get up off him, won't you," Rose said, hands on her hips as she looked at the two.

Donna quickly pushed off him, still panting for breath. The Doctor pulled himself up, looking at the console with a bit of fear in his gaze.

"Glad that's over," Rose said, finally letting herself relax. She leaned against the railing.

"Not over quite yet," the Doctor managed to shout before the TARDIS burst into a thick cloud of dark smoke.

/\/\/\/\

**Sorry for the somewhat slow updating. I've been incredibly swamped with schoolwork and haven't had time to write as much.**

**Thank you so much for all the follows, guys! I only got a couple reviews, though, and as much as I appreciate the followers, it really makes my day to get some feedback :) Could you do me a great favor and just click that little button down there? Reviews honestly make my day and I'd love to hear from you all :) Thanks so much guys!**

**~PhoenixFlame123~**


	5. The Runaway Bride, part 3

**Again, I'm loving all the followers I have, but I'd really appreciate some **_**reviews**_** even more! Here's another chapter, I tried to write quicker this time around. :) This is also a kind of... really long chapter. Nearly twice the word count of last chapter. Tell me if you guys like longer chapters/shorter chapters; I need feedback! :)**

** Warning... kind of a fluff overload near the endish middle... I hope you don't all find it too sickly sweet xD It's so easy to write 10/Rose fluff! Ergghhhh**

** So yeah, that's it... again, please review! :)**

** ~Phoenix~**

Donna glanced at her watch and looked away, feeling tears spring to her eyes. Rose was standing nearby, watching the Doctor as he tried to clear the smoke from the TARDIS. He coughed and spluttered, staggering up near them.

"The funny thing is, for a spaceship, she doesn't really do that much flying," the Doctor said cheerfully, not noticing Donna's downcast expression. "We'd better give her a couple of hours." Then he finally noticed her face. "...Donna? You all right?"

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter," she said, somewhat bitterly.

"Did we miss it?" Rose asked sympathetically.

"Yeahh."

"Well, you can always book another date," the Doctor suggested, shifting uncomfortably.

"Course we can." Her tone was soft, defeated.

"...still got the honeymoon."

"Just a holiday now."

"Yeah... yeah..." the Doctor trailed off. "...sorry."

Donna smiled a bit. "It's not your fault."

"Well, that's a nice change," she heard him mutter before he turned to Rose. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Rose said, "I'm fine. I wasn't the one jumping out of a car, was I?"

"No, but I heard you hit the wall pretty hard, are you sure you didn't get hurt-?"

Donna watched the two with a slight smile as the Doctor fretted over Rose's small scrapes and bruises, finally pulling her into a hug. They were adorable, those two. Well - as adorable as Martians could get.

When the duo broke apart, Donna said offhandedly, "Wish we had a time machine. Then we could go back and get it right."

The Doctor and Rose exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"... Yeah, yeah. But -" the Doctor spluttered slightly "-even if I did, I couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline. Apparently," he added hastily.

She looked at him suspiciously, but didn't pursue the matter. Sighing, she went to sit on the edge of the roof of the building that they had landed on, looking over the city below. The Doctor and Rose exchanged glances before moving to sit next to her. The Doctor draped his jacket over Donna, who smiled slightly.

"God, you're skinny," she said, a bit of her old self coming back. "This wouldn't fit a rat."

The Doctor just grinned a little. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Doctor and Rose twine fingers, and Rose snuggled a little closer into the Doctor's side. She smiled. Again, adorable Martians were still adorable.

"Oh, and," the Doctor added, rummaging in his pockets, "You'd better put this on." From his pocket, he produced a wedding ring.

"Oh, do you have to rub it in?" Donna asked indignantly.

"Those creatures can trace you. This is a biodamper," the Doctor continued. "It should keep you hidden."

He took her hand, slipping it on her finger.

"With this ring, I thee biodamp," he said, popping the 'p'.

"For better or for worse," Donna joked half-heartedly. The Doctor and Rose both smiled.

Donna sighed. "So, come on then. Robot Santas - what are they for?"

"Ah, your basic robo-scavenger," the Doctor replied smoothly. "The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise. They're trying to blend in." He looked at Rose. "We met them last Christmas."

Donna looked at them oddly. "Why? What happened them."

Rose leaned forward and looked at her incredulously. "You honestly didn't notice?" Donna's blank stare answered her. "That big old spaceship? Hovering over London?" Rose pressed.

She shrugged. "I had a bit of a hangover," she said dismissively.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows, but didn't pursue the matter. The three continued to look over the city. Rose nudged him. "Look, I can see the Powell Estate!" she said with a grin. Donna quirked her head. "That's where we were last Christmas. My house, my old house - well... it was my mum's house..." her face shadowed and she coughed, "But she's, uh... gone now."

Donna looked at her curiously. "Where'd she go?"

The Doctor interrupted her, and Donna could see Rose's face flash with gratitude and relief at the change of subject as the Doctor said "Question is, what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with _you_? And how did you get inside the TARDIS? I don't know..." He looked her up and down. She rolled her eyes; not another one of these. Suddenly he said, "What's your job?" Reaching into his jacket, he grabbed the screwdriver thingy he had used earlier.

"I'm a secretary," Donna answered vaguely.

The Doctor started scanning her up and down. "It's weird, I mean - you're not special, you're not powerful... you're not connected, you're not clever, you're not _important_..."

Donna gaped at him and Rose hit him slightly. "You're being rude again," Rose muttered with a pointed glare.

"And you," Donna addressed Rose, "Don't you ever just want to punch him in the face-?"

The Doctor ignored them both and continued to scan Donna's face. She whacked the screwdriver aside. "Stop bleepin' me!" she said fiercely, sounding much more like her old self.

The Doctor's mouth opened and closed, finally shaking his head. "What kind of secretary?" he questioned after a pause.

"I'm at HC Clements. It's where I met Lance." she smiled at the thought. "I was temping."

She paused before continuing, "I mean, it was all a bit posh really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. Well, I thought - I'm never gonna fit in here. And then he made me a coffee."

Donna smiled as she remembered when he had motioned to her if she wanted a cup, months ago. "I mean, that just doesn't happen. Nobody gets the _secretaries_ a _coffee_. And Lance - he's the head of HR! He don't need to bother with me! But he was nice, he was funny."

She remembered all of their conversations on that flight of stairs, laughing over their coworkers and just being goofy together.

"And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So that's how it started, me and him - one cup of coffee. That was it."

The Doctor looked slightly bored, but Rose was leaning forward and watching Donna, smiling. "See, that's how things are _supposed_ to start," she said teasingly to the Doctor. "_Coffee_, not _living_ _plastic_."

He rolled his eyes at her before turning back to Donna. "So, when was this?"

"Six months ago," Donna said with pride.

"Bit quick to get married, isn't it?" Rose asked.

Donna swallowed. Oops. "Well - he insisted," she lied.

Not how it had really happened, of course - she remembered blurting out, "Would you marry me?" randomly on the first day she had mustered up the courage.

"And he nagged, and he nagged me," she continued, "And he just wore me down, and then finally, I just gave in." She shrugged, as if that was all there was to it.

Rose looked slightly incredulous, but the Doctor looked happy to drop the subject. "What does H.C. Clements do?"

"Oh, security systems, you know... entry codes, ID cards - that sort of thing. If you ask me, it's a posh name for 'locksmiths'."

"Keys..." the Doctor mused.

"Anyway, enough of my CV. Come on, it's time to face the consequences. Oh, this is gonna be so shaming." She pursed her lips, then adding, "You can do the explaining, Martian-boy. Or Martian-couple, I suppose." She motioned to the duo.

"Yeah. Um. Rose is human. And I'm, not from Mars," the Doctor said awkwardly. Donna nodded knowingly, smiling. The Doctor jumped up, pulling Donna up and reaching down to help Rose stand.

Donna started towards the TARDIS, sighing. "Oh, I had this great big reception all planned. Everyone's gonna be _heartbroken_."

/\/\/\/\

When they reached the reception hall, however, it appeared that everyone had went on with the reception without Donna. People everywhere were smiling, dancing, drinking and laughing as Donna entered, a thunderstruck expression crossing her face. Slowly, people started to notice the bride standing with her arms crossed angrily, and soon all was silent, the music stopped, as people stared.

"You had the reception without me?" Donna asked quietly. The Doctor rubbed his face. He heard Rose let out an exasperated _huff._

A dark-skinned man, assumedly Lance, stepped forward. "Donna - what happened to ya?"

"You had the reception _without_ me?" Donna said louder, glaring accusingly around the room.

There was a pause. People's attention seemed to shift towards the strange man and woman who had just walked in with her. The Doctor leaned forward a bit. "Hello," he said awkwardly with a cheeky grin, "I'm the Doctor."

"And I'm Rose," Rose followed, waggling her fingers a bit. "Um... hullo!"

Donna turned to them. "They _had_ the _reception_ _without_ me!" she practically yelled.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes - I gathered."

"Well, it was all paid for - why not?" said a nasty-looking blonde woman.

"Thank you, _Nerys,_" Donna spat sarcastically. _Oh, so _that's_ who Nerys is,_ the Doctor thought, smirking a little bit at Donna's reaction.

"Well, what were we supposed to do?" said another woman, who looked to be Donna's mother. "I got your silly little message in the end - 'I'm on Earth'? Very funny. But what the hell happened? How did you do it? I mean, what's the trick because I'd love to know-"

Suddenly everyone started talking at once, pressing in around Donna, who looked overwhelmed. She turned to the Doctor and Rose, who could offer no help, and turned around again into the sea of incomprehensible babble.

Suddenly she burst into tears. The crowd let out a resounding "awwh" as Lance hugged her comfortingly. The Doctor and Rose looked at each other bemusedly. Where had _this_ come from? It wasn't until Donna winked at them from behind her husband's back that they understood. They smirked back at her as she continued to put on fake tears for her sympathetic audience.

/\/\/\/\

"I'm _starving,_" Rose said suddenly. "Do you want something to eat? I'm gonna grab something quick."

"I'm fine. I'll wait here," answered the Doctor, leaning back against the bar. The reception had gone on as before, but now Donna was swept up into the swirl of dancers, near her (still-)fiancé Lance. She looked much better, smiling and laughing with him.

He noticed a man using a mobile phone next to him, and gestured to use it. He slid his glasses on his nose, glancing around before using his sonic screwdriver on it. Results for the words "H.C. Clements" scrolled by at lightning speed before settling on what he had been searching for.

"SOLE PROP. TORCHWOOD" was displayed on the phone screen. His brow furrowed, expression becoming slightly stormy. Returning the phone to its original state and flipping it closed, he gave it back to its owner, leaning back against the bar again and watching the dancers. The lyrics from the song playing started to become clearer to him, and he almost laughed at the way they corresponded to his own situation.

_Well, you took me in, you stole my heart,_

_I cannot roam no more _

_Because love, it stays within you,_

_It does not wash up on a shore_

He saw a man throw a blonde woman over his arm on the dance floor and smiled, remembering when he had caught Rose so long ago in New Earth. They had been through a lot together, them two.

_But a fighting man forgets each cut_

_Each knock, each bruise, each fall_

_But a fighting man cannot forget_

_Why his love don't roam no more_

He had been getting tired by his ninth regeneration. Tired of the constant strain. The constant loss. The constant pain nagging in the back of his head. But then came Rose. And she changed everything. He scuffed his feet against the floor slightly, wondering why he was suddenly being so melodramatic about all of this. Maybe it was their sudden openness about the subject. He smiled at that, warmth flooding through him; but where had Rose gone? She should be back by now...

_Oh, reel me in, my precious girl,_

_Come on, take me home. _

_'Cause my body's tired of travelling_

_And my heart don't wish to roam_.

And speaking of Rose, he felt a hand slide into his, and looked to his left to see Rose beaming up at him. "Doctor," she said in a mock-serious voice, her tongue poking out between her teeth, "Might I have this dance?"

The music was transitioning into a slow dance, and out of the corner of his eye the Doctor could see Donna and Lance, as well as numerous other couples, moving together. He paid no attention to them, however; he had eyes only for the beautiful blonde who he joined. He grinned at her and she smiled back as they moved closer to each other, starting to dance slowly as the music played.

"Do you remember the first time we danced?" the Doctor asked with a smile.

He heard her giggle into his shoulder as they swayed slowly. "Surrounded by zombie children. Very romantic, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, and I still had huge ears to boot," groaned the Doctor. Rose laughed softly again.

"I didn't care, though. I still loved you way back then," she admitted, seeming embarrassed.

The Doctor shook his head at her in amazement. "How?"

"What?"

"I was so - so, gruff, I dunno," he said awkwardly. "I was all... tough and leather jacket-y. It was so easy for me to fall in love with you. But how could you love me back?"

"It's funny, because I've been saying the same thing to myself lately," she laughed, though her chuckle seemed slightly humorless.

His brow furrowed. "How can you even say that?"

"Oh, I dunno. Nine _centuries _old Time Lord, two _decades_ old human? I mean... it's funny, because you could literally have any girl in the _universe..._ but you have me," she ended softly.

The Doctor pulled her back a little and looked straight into her eyes. "I don't ever want to hear you say that again, Rose Tyler," he said seriously, touching her face softly. "Because I've seen the universe, and I've seen all the planets - for the most part, I've been there, done that. And there is nobody - _nobody -_ in the universe that I would rather be with than you."

She smiled up at him, and he saw that her eyes were slightly misty. "Doctor," she said wondrously, "I love you."

"I love you, too," he answered, and they kissed again. He didn't think he was ever going to get tired of kissing her.

The song was ending, and they pulled away from each other regretfully, their fingers still laced together.

"You two are so adorable, it's just plain _sickening_," came a teasing voice from behind them. They turned to see Donna grinning at them, holding onto Lance's arm, who looked slightly uncomfortable. "I think I might actually need to go brush my teeth after all that sweetness."

Rose giggled and the Doctor flushed, ducking and scratching his head. That was when his gaze fell on the cameraman taping the whole thing. An idea sprang to his mind.

"Not to ruin the moment, but..." he tugged on Rose's hand in the direction of the man, and she obligingly followed, her eyes falling on the camera and, apparently, having the same thought occurring to her. They bid hasty goodbyes to the married couple and trotted off towards the camera.

"I taped the whole thing - they've all had a look," the cameraman said as he rewound the tape. "They said 'sell it to You've Been Framed'. I said 'more like the News!' Here we are..."

The camera showed Donna's face screaming as she seemed to disintegrate into golden, shiny particles that flew away.

Although this obviously rang no bells for Rose, the Doctor's face showed utter shock. "Can't be! Play it again?" he added hastily.

"Clever, mind! Good trick, I'll give her that. I was clapping." _He doesn't have any idea what really happened, _the Doctor thought worriedly as he watched it again, brow furrowed.

"But that looks like... Huon Particles!" he muttered, straightening, looking utterly perplexed.

"What are Huey Particles?" Rose repeated, having trouble hearing him over the music in the background.

"No, _Huon_ Particles," he corrected, "But it's impossible, that's... _ancient_! Huon energy doesn't exist anymore, not for billions of years! So old that..."

_No._

His gaze landed on the ring he had given Donna earlier. _The biodamper._

"It can't be hidden by a bio-damper!" the Doctor cried, running off towards the window. Rose followed close behind.

He stopped at the window, aghast. Sure enough, robot Santas were slowly trooping their way towards the building. Rushing back to Donna, he interrupted her. "Donna! Donna, they've found you," he rushed as Rose appeared next to him, looking frightened.

"But you said I was safe!" Donna protested.

"The biodamper doesn't work. We've got to get everyone out!"

"Oh, my God-" Donna said, looking around at everyone with the utmost expression of fear on her face. "-it's all my family..."

"Out the back door!" The Doctor continued. They made for the back door only to be stopped by two more Santas.

"Or, maybe not," the Doctor said, retracing his steps backwards. Darting towards another window, he saw yet another pair of Santas outside.

"We're trapped," Donna was saying frantically while Rose whirled, trying to find another exit. The Doctor, however, watched one Santa in particular who was raising some kind of remote control. He turned to see the Christmas tree in the middle of the room.

"Rose..." he said warningly. She stopped and looked at him. "Christmas trees..."

She gaped at the offending green tree standing tall in the middle of the room.

"What _about_ them?" Donna snapped.

"They kill!" Rose said, rushing towards the crowd by the tree. The Doctor followed closely.

"Get away from the tree!" Rose shouted at the people gathered around.

"Don't touch the trees!" the Doctor warned. "Get away from the Christmas trees, everyone get away from them!" he ushered a group of little girls away from the tree, and saw Rose doing something similar on the other side.

"Out! Lance, tell them!" Donna was joining in, but her fiancé just looked at her in bewilderment.

"Stay _away_ from the tree!" the Doctor repeated.

"Oh, for God's sakes, they're idiots!" snapped Donna's mother. "Why? What's a Christmas tree gonna... oh!" she ended pleasantly as the baubles from the trees started floating above everybody's heads. The Doctor and Rose backed up, eying them with distrust, but the people seemed to think this was another funny trick. They tittered and chattered excitedly.

That is, until the baubles started dive-bombing and exploding around them.

Screams filled the air and everyone started running for cover as explosions knocked people to the ground. The Doctor pulled Rose away from a particularly nasty blast, and saw Donna drag Lance under a table with her. He led Rose to the DJ's stand, only warning her to "plug up your ears" before turning to the Santas, who were lined up opposite.

"OI! SANTA!" shouted the Doctor. "Word of advice: if you're attacking a man with a sonic screwdriver..." he spoke into the microphone, magnifying his voice; "...don't let him near the sound system."

He held his sonic screwdriver to the amps and an awful, shrieking sound blasted through them. Everyone around him covered their ears in pain, the Santas vibrating viciously before falling into pieces. As soon as they collapsed, the Doctor removed his screwdriver, making sure Rose was fine before running to examine the robots. He could vaguely recognize that people were pulling themselves up.

Examining the robots carefully, he heard Donna in the background checking on the children. "Michael? Connie?" He could hear Rose's voice, too - "Are they okay? Is everyone alright?"

"Oh, do something useful," Donna scolded her mother, who was standing there immobile.

"But what is it?" Sylvia squeaked shrilly, pointing at the robots. "What were they?"

"Stop wittering, just help 'em," Donna snapped.

"Look at this -" the Doctor said, calling Rose and Donna to his side "-remote control for the decorations... but there's a second remote control for the robots." He grabbed one of the heads, examining it closely. "They're not scavengers anymore. I think someone's taken possession."

"Never mind all that, you're a doctor - people have been hurt," Donna said worriedly.

"Nah, they wanted you alive, look-" he threw her a bauble "-they're not active now."

"All I'm saying is, you could help," Donna pleaded.

"Doctor," Rose started reasonably.

"You two gotta think of the bigger picture... there's still a signal!" the Doctor said, running out of the door. Rose let out a huff of air before following just a step behind. Donna paused for a second, and Sylvia ran forward.

"Donna... who is he? Who is that man?"

Donna just stared at her, unable to offer an answer. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then thought better of it, closing it and running off in the direction of the two crazy Martians.

/\/\/\/\/\

**Again, please, please, PLEASE leave a review! They literally make my day! Even if you just want to say "hi" to let me know that you're reading this and that you like it. That would be perfectly acceptable. :) Again, I could use feedback; do you want longer chapters, shorter chapters, quicker updates? Just tell me! Thanks for reading! I should have the next chapter up pretty soon, considering I have tomorrow off of school and not a lot to do... :)**

**Ciao,**

**~Phoenix~ **


	6. The Runaway Bride, part 4

**WOAH. Do you guys still remember me?**

**Well, I got a couple of random, encouraging reviews, and I needed something to write to get rid of my writer's block, and I remembered how much fun it is to insert random 10/Rose fluff into the show, and then I heard that David Tennant and Billie Piper are FRICKIN' COMING BACK FOR THE FIFTIETH AND GOSH DARN IT THERE BETTER BE SOME FLUFF, and so here we are again. :D**

**~Phoenix~**

**/\/\/\/\**

"There's someone behind this, directing the robo-force," the Doctor was saying as he ran into the parking lot.

"But why is it me? What have I done?" Donna complained in confusion as she stopped at his side.

"If we find the controller, we'll find that out." The Doctor buzzed his sonic screwdriver. "Oh!" He held it in the air. "It's up there... something in the sky."

/\

_He was right, of course; and high above the Earth sat a humongous, star-shaped web hovering over London. _

"_Clever, clever, clever boy. Travelling man. He shall come to me and beautiful bride. Such secrets to unlock! I shall descend this night - I shall descend upon this Earth and shine!" hissed the large spider laying in wait above their heads._

/\

Oblivious to anything of the sort, the Doctor let out a huff of exasperation. "I've lost the signal - Donna, we've got to get to your office, H C Clements. I think that's where it all started." He noticed Donna's husband, standing nearby. "Lance - it's Lance, right? Can you give me a lift?"

Without waiting for an answer, he darted off. Rose smiled apologetically to the couple at his abruptness. "Yeah... he's always like that," she answered the unspoken question. Lance huffed, overwhelmed, as the two ladies ran off after him. He followed reluctantly.

/\/\/\/\

Arriving at H. C. Clements, the four ran into the building and towards Donna's office. The Doctor made a beeline straight for the computer.

"This might just be a locksmiths, but H C Clements was brought up twenty three years ago by the Torchwood Institute," the Doctor said. Rose inhaled sharply, her face going stormy. Donna was confused.

"Who're they?"

"They were behind the battle of Canary Wharf."

Donna's face was utterly blank.

The Doctor and Rose looked at her unbelievingly. "...Cyberman invasion?" Rose prompted. Donna just stared at them inquiringly. The Doctor straightened up, looking at her in bemusement. "Skies over London full of Daleks?"

"Oh, I was in Spain," Donna answered, as if that explained everything.

"...they had Cybermen in Spain."

"Scuba diving!"

"The big picture, Donna - you keep on missing it!" the Doctor said, rushing to another computer. "Torchwood was destroyed, but H. C. Clements stayed in business. I think... someone else came in and took over -" he whacked the monitor "-the operation!"

"But what do they want with me?" Donna asked fearfully.

Done with the computer, the Doctor diverted his full attention to Donna. "Somehow you've been dosed with Huon energy. And that's a problem, because Huon energy hasn't existed since the Dark Times. The only place you'd find a Huon particle now is a remnant in the heart of the TARDIS. See? That's what happened." She still didn't understand, so he tried again. "Say... that's the TARDIS." He held up a coffee mug. "And this is you." He picked up a pencil. "The particles inside _you_ activated. The two sets of particles magnetised and WHAP!" he threw the pencil into the mug, "you were pulled inside the TARDIS."

"I'm a pencil inside a mug?" Donna asked weakly, overwhelmed.

"Yes, you are. 4H. Sums you up." Rose rolled her eyes at him as he continued swiftly. "Lance? What was H.C. Clements working on? Anything top secret? Special operations? _'Do not enter'_?"

"I don't know, I'm in charge of personnel," Lance answered defensively. "I wasn't project manager."

The Doctor held his screwdriver to the monitor and a page immediately displayed.

"Why am I even explaining myself? What the hell are we talking about?" Lance suddenly exploded.

"They make keys, that's the point," the Doctor continued. "And look at this..." the computer displayed a 3D plan of the building. "...we're on the third floor."

The Doctor ran to the elevator, and, exhausted, the others followed.

"Underneath reception, there's a basement, yes?"

The door let out a _ping_ sound and opened smoothly. The Doctor went inside, looking at the controls.

"Then how come when you look on the lift, there's a button marked 'lower basement'?" He pointed to the button in question. "There's a whole _floor_ which doesn't exist on the official plans. So what's down there, then?"

"Are you telling me this building's got a secret floor?" Lance asked incredulously.

"No, I'm _showing_ you this building's got a secret floor," grinned the Doctor cheekily.

"It needs a key," Donna said uncertainly.

"I don't." the Doctor soniced the lock. "Right then, thanks you two. We can handle this - see you later! Rose?"

Rose quickly joined him in the lift, but Donna would have none of it - she pushed right next to them. "No chance, Martian. You're the man who keeps saving my life, I ain't letting you out of my sight," she said.

The Doctor, unwilling to argue with the temperamental bride, shrugged slightly. "Going down..."

"Lance?" Donna said pointedly.

"Maybe I should - go to the police," he spluttered.

"Inside!"

Lance joined them resignedly.

"To honour and obey?" the Doctor muttered.

"Tell me about it, mate," Lance answered in exasperation.

"OI!"

Rose giggled as the doors closed.

/\/\

The lift pinged as the doors opened, and the four spilled out into a damp, green-lit basement. Rose blinked in the dim light, her eyes struggling to focus.

"Where are we? Well, what goes on down here?" Donna demanded nervously at the creepy corridor.

"Let's find out..." murmured the Doctor curiously.

"Do you think Mr. Clements knows about this place?" Donna inquired.

"The mysterious H C Clements? I think he's part of it," the Doctor answered. Suddenly his eyes caught something, and a broad grin spread across his face. "Oh, look," he said cheekily, "transport!"

Three electric scooters stood unassumingly next to the wall. The Doctor jumped on one, Donna following suit eagerly and Lance bringing up the rear; Rose jumped on the Doctor's, holding onto his shoulders as the three zipped down the hall.

Rose was trying her best - she really was - but the sight of them all trundling down the secret base was so comical that she couldn't help herself. She buried her face in the Doctor's shoulder but found herself giggling. She made eye contact with Donna, and after a split-second's hesitation, the two burst into hysterical laughter. The Doctor twisted his head and chuckled with them as Rose practically fell off their scooter from laughing. She held onto the Doctor as an anchor as Donna and she let all of their tension go.

Lance, on the other hand, only scowled. _Lighten up, Lance,_ Rose thought through her giggles.

They abandoned their scooters as they reached a sign reading "TORCHWOOD - PERSONNEL ONLY". The Doctor turned a large wheel, and peered through the door; a ladder led up to somewhere unknown up above. He turned to the other three.

"Wait here. You too, Rose, sorry, just need to get my bearings. _Don't_..." he glared pointedly, poking his finger at each of them "..._do - anything!" _He raised eyebrows at Rose especially, who grinned, her tongue poking out through her teeth. "No promises," she teased.

"You'd better come back," Donna called up worriedly, but Rose looked unconcerned.

"Of course. I wouldn't leave Rose. Besides," the Doctor said with a smirk, "I couldn't get rid of you if I tried."

Donna smiled slightly as they watched him climb the ladder. Lance was frantically agitated.

"Donna... have you thought about this? Properly? I mean, this is serious! What the hell are we gonna do?" Lance said, rubbing his face. Rose found herself rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Oh, I thought July," Donna said distractedly, still concentrating on the Doctor. Rose smiled.

A slight pause before the Doctor jumped down next to them, grinning brightly. "Thames flood barrier!" he proclaimed. "Right on top of us. Torchwood snuck in and built this place underneath."

"What, there's like a secret base hidden underneath a major London landmark?!" Donna cried unbelievingly.

"I know!" Rose said, exchanging an extremely amused glance with the Doctor. "Unheard of, right?"

"C'mon-" the Doctor said. He led them into a room nearby, and now they were in some sort of laboratory. His face lit up at the various test tubes and chemistry equipment bubbling around him. "Oh, look at this! Stunning! _Particle_ extrusion!"

"What's that mean?" Rose questioned curiously, following him. He ducked behind a huge test tube, and his face distorted comically.

"_Particle_ extrusion," he repeated, as if the second time made it a lot clearer. He tapped the test tube. "Brilliant. They've been manufacturing Huon particles. My people got rid of Huons, they unravelled the atomic structure."

"Your people?" Lance pounced on the small tidbit of information, starting to pry. "And who are they? What company do you two represent?" He motioned to them almost angrily. "I mean you're obviously working together for some kind of business... which one?"

"Er - we're sort of - freelancers," the Doctor answered distractedly as Rose smirked. "But this lot are trying to rebuild them. And brilliantly, too! They've been using the river! Extruding them through a flat hydrogen base so they've got the end result - Huon particles in liquid form."

He held up a small tube filled with clear liquid.

"That's what's inside me?" Donna asked anxiously.

The Doctor twisted the top of the tube and the particles inside started to glow spinning gold. Suddenly, Donna started to react with it - golden tendrils seemed to spin from her body. She gasped in shock. "Oh, my God!"

"Because the particles are inert - they need something living to catalyse inside and that's you. Saturate the body and then... HA!"

Donna and Rose both jumped as the Doctor's face lit up, and he started rambling enthusiastically. "The _wedding_! Yes, you're getting _married_, that's it! Best day of your life, walking down the aisle - oh, your body's a _battleground_! There's a chemical war inside! Adrenaline, acetylcholine, WHAM go the endorphins, oh you're cooking! Yeah, you're like a walking oven! A pressure cooker, a microwave, all churning away, the particles reach boiling point, SHAZAM-!" And again, without pretense, Donna slapped him across the face. This second time, being present to the situation, Rose started giggling hysterically at the Doctor's face as, aghast, he cried, "What did I do THIS time?!"

"Are you _enjoying _this?" Donna snapped seriously. The Doctor relaxed, slightly ashamed, and let out a breath.

Donna walked towards him a little, and Rose edged forward unconsciously, not forgetting the fall-on-top-of-each-other moment. "Right, just tell me - these particles, are they dangerous? Am I safe?"

The Doctor hesitated for just a little too long. "...well, _yes-"_

"Doctor... if your lot got rid of Huon particles... why did they do that?"

The Doctor looked at Rose for help, but she was watching him just as intently as Donna. "Doctor," Rose said gently, "Just the truth."

She was right, of course. He looked back at Donna. "Because... they were deadly."

"Oh my god..." Donna said in despair, sinking her face into her hands.

He stepped forward and took her gently by her shoulders. "I'll sort it out, Donna. Whatever's been done to you, I'll reverse it. I will. I'm not gonna lose anyone. Not today."

Rose smiled comfortingly at Donna, opening her mouth as if to say something - but right as she was about to speak she was interrupted by a loud clashing and banging that came from all around them. A chilling voice rang clear through the lab.

"Oh, she is _long_ since lost!"

Suddenly, one of the walls slid upwards to reveal a secret chamber with an enormous round hole in the floor. The room was suddenly surrounded by an army of the armed robots wearing black hoods. Rose grabbed the Doctor's hand, feeling comforted by its warm familiarity, somewhat frightened but trying not to show it.

"I have waited so long, hibernating at the edge of the universe - until the secret heart was uncovered and called out to waken!" the echoing voice shouted.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rose could see Lance's eyes widen with horror as he stumbled hurriedly out of the room. She felt a rush of contempt for Donna's cowardly husband.

The Doctor peered down at the hole. "Someone's been digging... oh, very Torchwood." He looked at Rose and rolled his eyes. "Drilled by laser. How far down does it go?"

The voice in the sky, the source of which still unknown, sounded triumphantly superior as it proclaimed, "Down and down, all the way to the center of the Earth!"

"Really?" the Doctor asked incredulously. "Seriously? What for?"

Donna ran forwards, very excited. "Dinosaurs!"

The Doctor and Rose stared at her blankly. "What?"

"Dinosaurs?" she asked meekly.

"What are you on about, dinosaurs?" the Doctor asked incredulously.

"That film, Under the Earth, with dinosaurs. Trying to help!" Donna said in embarrassment.

"That's not helping!"

"Oh, don't be rude," Rose bumped his shoulder.

"I'm trying not to!" the Doctor practically whined.

"Such a sweet couple," sneered the invisible voice, and Rose was uncomfortable unsure of which "couple" it was talking about.

The Doctor ignored the remark, questioning grandly, "Only a madman talks to thin air - and trust me, you don't want to make me mad. Where are you?"

"High in the sky, floating so high on Christmas Night!"

"I didn't come all this way to talk on the intercom! Come on, let's have a look at you!" the Doctor shouted valiantly, winking at Rose overly-flirtatiously. She giggled.

"Oh, give it a rest, you two," Rose heard Donna mutter in exasperation.

"Who are you with such command?" the voice was asking in the meanwhile.

"I'm the Doctor," he answered simply.

"Prepare your best medicines, doctor-man," the voice replied, obviously misunderstanding the concept, "for you will be sick - at heart!"

With a jolt, a large spider-thing was teleported in the chamber. Rose jumped back with a little squeak at the image of the huge, snarling, growling spider in front of them. Donna looked completely frightened, but the Doctor just looked aghast.

"The Racnoss... but that's impossible, you're one of the Racnoss!" cried the Doctor.

"_Empress_ of the Racnoss," the spider corrected with a flourish.

"If you're the Empress, where's the rest of the Racnoss? Or..." the Doctor raised his eyebrows. "...are you the only one?"

"Such a sharp mind," the Empress hissed.

"That's it, the last of your kind," the Doctor murmured. He turned to Donna and Rose; Donna didn't take her eyes off the gigantic spider, but Rose looked at him curiously. "The Racnoss come from the Dark Times - billions of years ago, _billions_. They were carnivores - well, omnivores; they devoured whole _planets_."

"Racnoss are born starving - is that our fault?" the Empress interjected with a growl.

"They eat... _people_?" Donna asked faintly.

"H C Clements, did he wear those- those erm, black and white shoes?" questioned the Doctor, seemingly randomly.

Now Donna looked at him, grinning brightly. "He did! We used to laugh, we used to call him 'the fat cat in spats'!"

The Doctor grimaced and nodded. Rose had already noticed and held her hands over her mouth. He pointed up towards the large web, where the shoes could just be seen poking out.

"Oh my God!" Donna said, for about the millionth time that day.

"Mm, my Christmas dinner," cackled the Empress.

"You shouldn't even exist! Way back in history, the Fledgling Empires went to war against the Racnoss - they were wiped out!" snapped the Doctor.

Suddenly, behind the spider, Lance appeared. Rose's mouth fell open, and Donna quickly saw her husband-to-be wielding a large axe. Lance motioned for her to stay quiet.

"Except for me," growled the Empress.

Donna rushed forward, making a bid to distract the large alien. "But that's what I've got inside me, that Huon energy thing." The Empress started to look away, and Donna snapped, "_Oi_! Look at me, lady, I'm talking. Where do I fit in? How come I get all stacked up with these Huon particles?"

Lance moved closer to the spider, who was distracted by the bride, but started looking towards him again.

"Look at me, you! Look me in the eye and tell me!" Donna said.

Rose joined in. "Just tell her," she shouted. "What are you doing to Donna, and why?"

"The bride is so feisty," sneered the Empress. "As is this new female... this bad wo -"

Donna interrupted before the spider could finish, not noticing the Doctor and Rose visibly recoiling. "Yes, I am! And I don't know what you are, you big... _thing_. But a spider's just a spider and an axe is an axe! Now, do it!" she yelled at her husband.

With a mighty swing, Lance brought the axe through the air. At the last moment, the Empress turned, an expression of fear on her face.

Then they stopped.

Donna stared.

Lance started to laugh, the Empress following soon after; he pointed at her, acting as if they had been friends since childhood.

"That was a good one!" he snickered. "Your face-!"

"Lance is funny," hissed the Empress.

Donna took a few steps backward, struggling to comprehend. "What? _What?"_

The Doctor and Rose understood and looked at each other, knowingly, sympathetically. Rose let go of the Doctor's hand now and moved to Donna, while the Doctor said softly, "Donna, I'm sorry."

Donna shook Rose off. "Sorry for what?" She still wouldn't believe it. Wouldn't comprehend it. "Lance, don't be so stupid! Get her!"

Lance shook his head pityingly. "God, she's thick!"

The insult, so plain, so jarringly unapologetic coming from the man who should have been her husband, didn't register with Donna. Her brain struggled to lurch back into normalcy.

"Months I had to put up with her. Months. A woman who can't even point to Germany on a map." Again. So harsh.

Donna shook her head. "I don't understand." She understood. She understood, she just didn't want to believe it.

"Donna," Rose was saying softly, "When you met - you said he got you coffee."

"Coffee. Right. We had coffee."

Rose looked at her, moving to her side again. This time, Donna didn't flinch away when she touched her arm. "You had to be doused with liquid particles, remember? That's what the Doctor said."

"I made you coffee!" Lance seemed to almost dance with his terrible joy. "And you drank it, every day! You _idiot!_"

"He was _poisoning _me." Now a question, an angry question, "Lance was _poisoning _me?! But - but we were getting married!"

"Well, I couldn't risk you running off. I _had_ to say yes." Donna was flushed with embarrassment as he continued mocking her. "And here I am, stuck with a woman who thinks the height of excitement is a new flavour _Pringle_. Oh, I had to sit there and listen to all that yap, yap, yap - _'oh, Brad and Angelina - is Posh pregnant?'_ X Factor, Atkins Diet, Feng Shui, split ends, text me, text me, _text me,_ dear God, the never ending fountain of fat, stupid trivia!" Lance was seething now. "I deserve a medal!" He shook the axe in the air as if demanding recognition.

"Oh, is that what she's offered you?" The Doctor was angry now, taking a step forward. "The Empress of the Racnoss? What are _you_? Her consort?"

"Better than one night with _her,_" Lance jabbed dismissively.

"But... but I _love_ you," Donna whispered.

Lance nodded and smiled mockingly. Condescendingly. "That's what made it easy. It's like you said, Doctor - the big picture - what's the point of it all if the human race is nothing? That's what the Empress can give me. The chance to... go out there. To see it. The size of it all." He raised his eyebrows. "I think you understand that, don't you, Doctor?"

"Yes, who is this little physician and his pet?" the spider sneered.

Lance shrugged. "Probably what she said. Martian."

"Oh... we're kinda... homeless," the Doctor shrugged, "but the point is, what's down here?" He looked down the hole - to the center of the earth, apparently. "The Racnoss are extinct. What's gonna help you four thousand miles down? That's just the molten core of the Earth, isn't it?"

Lance pursed his lips. "I think he wants us to talk."

"I think so, too," sneered the Empress.

"Well, tough!" shouted Lance. "All we need is Donna."

"Kill this chattering little doctor-man," ordered the spider, "and his blonde female, too!"

The Doctor moved in front of Rose the same instant that Donna moved in front of him. "No! Don't you hurt them!" she yelled.

"Donna," the Doctor tried to warn, but she kept going - "No! I won't let them!"

"At arms!" The Empress was having none of this.

"Ah, no, except -" the Doctor moved in front of Donna, trying to speak -

"Take aim!"

"Well, I just want to point out the obvious, that -"

"They won't hit the bride - they're such very good shots," sneered the spider.

"Just- just- just- hold on, just a tick, just a tiny- just a little- tick." The Doctor held up his finger. There was a pause, so he continued, Rose watching in fear. "If you think about it, the particles activated in Donna and drew her inside my spaceship. So, reverse it..." He held up the test tube. "...the spaceship comes to her."

He twisted the top, Donna and the tube starting to glow again - Rose felt a familiar rush and smiled in relief as the _whooshing _sound of the TARDIS materialized around them. The Empress was shouting and guns were being fired but it was too late; they were inside the blue box.

"Oh, you know what I said before, about time machines?" the Doctor paused to clarify. "Well, I lied." He paused again. "And, we're gonna use it."

He was doing his thing, pushing buttons and levers and spinning gears and rambling. "We need to find out what the Empress of the Racnoss is digging up. If something's buried at the planet core, it must've been there since the beginning. That's just brilliant. Molto bene! I've always wanted to see this. Donna - we're gonna go -" he paused, trailed off, recognizing Rose's absence from the console, and looking over to see Donna hunched on the stairs of the TARDIS, Rose hugging her from the side, crying.

"Oh," he said softly, "...right."

With less enthusiasm, he hit one last dial, and the TARDIS continued to spin haphazardly through the vortex, the Doctor, the bride, and the bad wolf sitting inside of it in silence.


End file.
